VIJAYAWADA: With Covid-19 positive cases reporting steadily in rural areas, Covid-19 nodal officer L Siva Shankar has directed officials to intensify sample testing and identify those above 45 who haven’t taken jab. He inspected the government hospital at Machilipatnam and interacted with the patients undergoing treatment in ICU. Seeing that the help desk and information centre were not functioning properly, an angry Shankar directed the hospital officials to deploy staff to guide the Covid-19 patients.